PARMA --The city would save about $800,000 a year by switching to automated collection of curbside trash and recyclable material.

That is what Service Director Brian Higgins told City Council’s Finance Committee on Monday night.

The savings would occur because the city, through the automated program, would reduce the amount of solid waste that residents send to expensive landfills and increasing the amount of recyclables.

Also, yard waste would no longer head to landfills but instead would be hauled to a yard-waste site in North Royalton.

The finance committee sent an ordinance that would pave the way for automated trash collection back to council.

Under the proposed ordinance, the city would piggyback onto a five-year contract Berea recently signed with Republic Services, a Phoenix firm, for automated trash collection. Residents would not pay for garbage pickup under the new contract.

Parma has a contract with Republic Services for manual trash collection but that contract will end Feb. 1.

Council seemed positive about the automated-trash proposal and the Berea contract.

“I was skeptical when I came in here (tonight) but I’m liking what I’m hearing,” said Scott Tuma, finance committee chairman.

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